Celtics Birthday

 For: Liam
Occasion: his birthday

Liam is a Boston guy through and through. For his birthday card this year, I re-imagined the Boston Celtics logo as Liam himself! Noticeable differences are the lack of pipe, party hat instead of top hat and cupcake instead of basketball! I also made the character look as Liam-like as I could. Getting to know the Kellys has been such a treat--I hope this year is so much fun for him!

Cute Clown Birthday

 For: Aunt Joan
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Joan's birthday card, I drew a sweet little clown wearing a Happy Birthday! hat and holding a party balloon. There was always a rumor when I was young that Aunt Joan went to or wanted to go to clown college, and I have no idea if it was true, but she was and is and always has been one of the funniest people I know, so I wouldn't be surprised! I hope she has the very best day and is looking forward to another year of joy and laughter. 

Thanksgiving Pie

 For: The Walsh-Rocks
Occasion: Thanksgiving

The Walsh-Rocks are the hosts with the most every Thanksgiving, so to share gratitude with them for setting up the big party this year, I made them a simple card featuring a delicious slice of pumpkin pie with the message "full of thanks!" I adore this family so, so much and am so sorry to miss them this year for the beautiful holiday celebration that they curate. I can't wait to see them at Christmas in under a month!

Cat Birthday

 For: Quam
Occasion: his birthday

Quam has been sending me the required photos and videos of his and his girlfriend's cat, Goose. To celebrate Quam's birthday, I did a watercolor of Goose looking much more innocent than is reasonable. I loved trying to capture his spirit and get the various markings correct based on the library of images I have seen. I am so pleased to know the card was a hit with the entire fam!

Hiking Birthday

 For: Jaimie
Occasion: her birthday

For Jaimie's birthday card this year, I did a watercolor pen sketch of her on a solo-hike in the mountains! I love the bright colors and how the snowy white space of the mountains balance out the brightness. Jaimie is such a ray of sunshine in the world and I had so much fun painting at craft night the other day. I hope she has an incredible year! 

Confetti Birthday

 For: Rukiyah
Occasion: her birthday

Rukiyah is one of the most colorful people I've ever known, so for her birthday card I used all the colors I could think of! "This calls for confetti" is done with so many colors in each letter that are each outlined in white for some extra pop. And then the dark space has lots of little glimmers of glittery joy to tie it all together. I hope Rukiyah is doing amazing and has a fantastic, wonderful, amazing birthday!

Kitty Birthday

 For: Jennifer
Occasion: her birthday

Jennifer got a sweet little kitty that she named Alice! For Jen's birthday card, I drew the sweet little muffin with my colored pencils and I love how the darker gray cardstock helps add some dimension to the white fur ball! This card was so fun to make and I can't wait to meet little miss some day. It was so fun to see Jen in CO right before her big day, too!

Cupcake Collage Birthday

 For: Win
Occasion: her birthday

For Win's card, I made an awesome collage with lots of different paper designs that add up to this excellent cupcake with pink frosting and a right excellent candle and flame, if I do say so myself. I hope Win had a lovely day and was able to celebrate with some tasty treats!

Get Well Check In

 For: a dear friend and relative
Occasion: get well soon

Someone I adore to the stars and back is undergoing cancer treatments, and I've found "get well soon" or "you're stronger than cancer" type cards don't strike the right note for what I want to communicate. To capture my sentiment that we are all here for every piece of this stinky situation, I drew a heart made of all the different feeling faces my brain could come up with to complement the "However you feel..." message. I hope this card struck the tone I was going for and that they feel the love as they get ready for all the treatments.

Get Well Soon Potion

 For: Twin
Occasion: her procedure

Twin loves board games, so to wish her well on her upcoming procedure, I made a healing potion card like you might see in a deck-building game! It features a beaker of purple healing liquid and has a moderate cost with the benefit of sweet relief. The instructions are to use this card after any surgery or procedure. I fancy myself quite clever for this one and am glad Little Twin is doing so well!

Mountain Card

 For: Rosemerry
Occasion: her birthday

For Rosemerry's card this year, I did a beautiful abstract mountain scene with my beloved Prismacolor colored pencils that really help everything look magical! I used painter's tape to block off the edges of the design and just put rocky cliffs where I wanted to and flowy sky and all kinds of colors. I love how this looks and I hope to use this style again often--it's so fun to create art for one of the most prolific and vulnerable artists I've ever met (or may even exist!). I hope Rosemerry has a magical year.

Sweater Weather Birthday

 For: Maddie
Occasion: her birthday

For Maddie's birthday card, I drew the most wonderful cozy sweater with hands and face juuuuuust peaking out of the comfort! I added in a party hat and "Happy Sweater Weather" on the green background. I just love this design and I hope Maddie had the coziest birthday ever!

Trick or Treat Halloween

 For: Adam and Owen
Occasion: Halloween

To help my dear nephews celebrate the candiest of all the holidays, I drew some candies (with metallic wrappers) that read "Trick or Treat". I love how this card turned out and cannot wait to hear all about the candy they collect in their epic costumes! A safe and happy Halloween to all!

Seal Thank You

 For: Jennifer
Occasion: her birthday

To thank Jennifer for being an incredible host for my trip to Astoria, OR, I did an illustration of this sweet seal with a "Thanks!" message in the background. I love the PNW subdued blues of this card! I had so much fun visiting with Jen and hiking around and exploring her new city--I can't wait to go back again soon!

Floral Birthday

 For: Alyssa
Occasion: her birthday

To help Alyssa celebrate her birthday, I did a lovely illustration of wildflowers on top of a teal watercolor wash! I really appreciate the simple beauty of this card and hope Alyssa's year is filled with more of the same!

Manzanita Birthday

 For: Theresa
Occasion: her birthday

Theresa loves Manzanita trees, so for her birthday I got out my cray pas and tried to do an abstract design of the beautiful tree in a heart-shape in the Southwest! I loved trying something new (and knowing that Theresa is here for all kinds of art as an expressive arts therapist!). Where it got silly is that I forgot to take a picture of the original, AND THEN the original card got lost in the mail (temporarily)--so I tried to replicate the design from memory, resulting in this little friend below:

WHAT A FUN EXERCISE, Y'ALL! Look at how different these two cards are! Completely different color palates, spacing, backgrounds and foregrounds -- my gosh, I loved it. The original card turned up before the second was received and I just so appreciated that Theresa unintentionally was the facilitator of this art experiment! 

Iconic Look Birthday

 For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

For Uncle Jim's birthday card this year, I did a simple illustration of his most iconic/recognizable features -- his beard and mustache and glasses! I added in a party hart to signify there's a reason to celebrate! Any time I get to see Uncle Jim I am delighted--here's hoping our paths cross a bunch this year!

Good Luck Race

 For: Twin
Occasion: Good Luck!

To wish Twin luck on her running race, I did an illustration of her looking at her watch that is telling her to "Have Fun!" We have such a funny relationship with racing--I hope she did great and was able to enjoy the glorious movement of trail running!

Pumpkin Birthday

 For: Tom
Occasion: his birthday

To help Tom celebrate his October birthday, I made a jack-o'-lantern with the word "happy" carved into it on top of birthday for a Happy Birthday! message. I have really enjoyed getting to see Tom when he comes out to CO for work and hope there are more conferences here soon!

Cake Birthday

 For: Lidia
Occasion: her birthday

Lidia loves cake and delicious treats! For her birthday card this year, I did a watercolor illustration of a sprinkle cake with lovely pink frosting and three candles. I had so much fun watercoloring this and playing with the whitespace in particular. I adore Lids and hope she has a super sweet day!

Bird Birthday

 For: Daissy
Occasion: her birthday

To help Daissy celebrate her birthday, I did a watercolor of a pretty nifty bird in a party hat! I love the colors of the bird contrasted with the simple illustration style of the purple background. Daissy is such an incredible person -- I hope this next year is the best yet!

Writing Birthday

 For: Johnson
Occasion: his birthday

For Justin's birthday card this year, I did an illustration of a happy little guy in a party hat with a giant pencil who is writing out "Happy Birt--" the beginnings of a "Happy Birthday" message. I love the simplicity of this card and hope Johnson has a lovely year!

Aspen Birthday

 For: Marie
Occasion: her birthday

For Marie's birthday card this year, I did an illustration of our iconic aspen trees with some interesting sky panels to add another layer of fun to the homage to Colorado' most famous autumn residents. I think it was a pretty neat idea and hope she has a great year with lots of nature to enjoy!

Mountain Birthday

 For: Conor
Occasion: his birthday

Conor is the papa of twins! For his birthday card this year, I featured an illustration of the entire family unit as mountains--he is of course the one with a party hat. I am so excited for his #twinlife journey, and hope this next year brings all kinds of adventures and a little bit of rest, too!

Goofy Birthday

 For: Krystina
Occasion: her birthday

To be perfectly silly, I made a child-like illustration of Krystina that is all head with stick arms and legs! I appreciate that coffee is still involved, which is how you know these are the drawings of an adult! Paired with a simple "It's your birthday!" message, this card struck me as the way to send birthday greetings to a dear friend. 

Sneaker Birthday

 For: Dare
Occasion: his birthday

For Dare's birthday card, I made a collage of some sweet brightly-colored kicks! I have always been fascinated by shoe culture in basketball, and know Dare is something of a connoisseur himself. Here's hoping that Dare has the very best year yet!

Cake Collage

 For: Aunt Sherry
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Aunt Sherry's birthday this year, I made this lovely floral cake collage! I had a great time picking all the colors and cutting out all the shapes, particularly the candle flames. I just so appreciate Aunt Sherry's energy and spirit and can't wait to see her at a family gathering soon--Christmas, anyone?

Galaxy Birthday

 For: Scott
Occasion: his birthday

For Scott's birthday card, I did a galaxy watercolor that reflects endless stars, like the infinity that one can see on his property in New Mexico. The text reads, "Hope your day is out of this world!" I really have enjoyed getting to know Scott and do hope he has an awesome day and an even more excellent year!

Tree Pun Birthday

 For: Renee
Occasion: her birthday

Renee 1) loves nature and trees and 2) is a master of puns and punnery! To celebrate her birthday, I created this beautiful watercolor of the crowns of trees co-existing and paired it with a pun: "Hope your day is unbe-leaf-able!" I adore Renee so and can't wait to go ramble with her again soon. 

Nice Words Birthday

 For: The Twin
Occasion: her birthday

Twin is doing lots of improv classes and plays a game with herself where she's looking for a specific random word to come up in conversation every day! It's been so fun to be an observer of her process, and so for her birthday card this year I drew up this sentiment: "You are every nice word I can think of!" I adore my dear twin and cannot wait to see her perform this weekend!

Candle Birthday

 For: Bridget
Occasion: her birthday

I made a simple series of candles with different designs all in purple on a purple background for this awesome card for Bridget. I love playing with some sparkly monochrome and hope Bridge enjoyed this card and her big day!

Bird Bear Birthday

 For: Uncle Greg
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Uncle Greg's birthday, I made a simple bear on craft paper who is being visited by a sweet bird friend in a party hat! I love how this card turned out and am hopeful that Uncle Greg will have an awesome year!

Young Anymore Birthday

 For: Marcellus
Occasion: his birthday

Somewhat perfectly, Marcellus was pretty sore when we got together to celebrate September birthdays and I gave him this card. The funny joke I spelled out in stamps is "work medium, play medium. (you're not young anymore.)" Oh, aging is glorious and a privilege, and I hope Marcellus has the best day today!

Tree Birthday

 For: Sarah
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Sarah's birthday, I created a first ever torn collage to make a beautiful tree and lake scene reminiscent of Green Lake up in Seattle. I adore my dear Sarah and am hoping she has a the very best day and year yet!

Rock Striation Birthday

 For: Michael
Occasion: his birthday

Mike is super into rocks these days, so for his birthday card I tore up all kinds of paper to make the awesome southwest rock formations! Theres a little sun on top and some clouds peaking out, too. This card was so much fun to make and I have just had the best summer learning about geology together. Here's hoping this year rocks!

Giraffe Birthday

 For: Ellie
Occasion: her birthday

This card tickles me so, and I am just delighted that it went to one of my coolest young friends! Ellie is a real treat to hang out with and babysit and I hope we get a lot more opportunities to spend time together this next year!

Sympathy Clouds

 For: Family
Occasion: In Sympathy

The day of my grandfather's funeral, there was an incredible Midwestern storm that created the most amazing cloud structures I have ever seen. To share sympathies with Mom and her siblings, I created this simple watercolor and "with sympathy" message. In a sad and beautiful way, it was lovely to get together with everyone to mark Grandpa's passing. 

Cat Birthday

 For: Sandie
Occasion: her birthday

Sandie is a cat person, so for her birthday card this year I made a collage of this sweet friend with the biggest cutest eyes and the sparkliest hat I've ever seen! I miss Sandie a lot and hope we get to connect soon to catch up on work and all that is joyful in life!

Sunshine Birthday

 For: Molly
Occasion: her birthday

Molly is a delightful, colorful, wonderful bundle of sunshine, so for her birthday card this year I drew the most colorful sun whose rays are sweetly interrupted by a party hat! It's been so great reconnecting with Molly in the consultation group and I cannot wait to keep up the momentum all year!

Tree Ring Birthday

 For: Uncle Joel
Occasion: his birthday

Mixing my sports and nature metaphors, I created this mixed media tree stump watercolor that reads "Here's to another ring." I rather like the whimsy of this card, and hope UJoel does as well! It's been quite fun chatting writing this summer and I hope this next year is full of fulfilling literary pursuits for him!

Tape Birthday

 For: Jimmy
Occasion: his birthday

For Jimmy's birthday card this year, I featured a retro audiocassette! It's a mixtape called "Happy Birthday, Jimmy!" I really love the colors and the subtle shines of this card -- it really brings me back. Here's hoping Jimmy has a great day and an even better year!

Thousand Island Thank You

 For: Dan and Janet
Occasion: Thank You

To thank The Keanes yet again for their feat of hosting us all this summer, I did a watercolor illustration of the iconic Wellesley hotel! We had a lovely dinner there on the porch and in general just had a lovely time. It takes a lot of work to create such a relaxing time for the family, and so we are very grateful for all the efforts and can't wait to go back next year. 

Running Birthday

 For: Mari
Occasion: her birthday

Mari is getting back to running, so to celebrate her birthday this year I drew a picture of her in a race where her party hat and balloon are being pulled back by her speed! Her race bib is 814 -- aka her birth date! It's been so fun chatting with Mari all these years--I can't wait to see her soon!

Bird Birthday

 For: Mollie
Occasion: her birthday

Mollie is the biggest birder I know, so for her birthday card I did a mixed media collage of a sweet little friend on a leafy branch in a party hat! I hope her day is just magical and she spots all the feathered friends she could hope for this year. 

Vase Birthday

For: Aimee
Occasion: her birthday

For Aimee's birthday card this year, I did a delightful watercolor of a beautiful vase of flowers on a yellow striped background. I don't often paint "Happy Birthday!" though this time I am tickled with how it turned out. I miss Aimee bunches and hope she has a lovely day. 

 

Colorado Birthday

 For: Adam
Occasion: his birthday

For Adam's birthday card this year, I did a watercolor take on the beautiful Colorado landscape with the iconic flag imagery as the background. This card was a lot of fun to conceptualize and create, and I hope Adam has an excellent year of outdoorsy adventures!

Watery Birthday

For: Elly

Occasion: her birthday 

I went on a bike ride and saw this lovely statue in Denver and it reminded me of Elly's love of science and creativity and all things life-giving, so I created a watercolor of the orbs and then plunked them in watercolor water! I had so much fun with this whole experience and hope Ells has the very best day.

Live Long and Birthday

For: Seth

Occasion: his birthday 

Seth loves Star Trek, so for his birthday card I pulled out some TOS lore and adapted a Vulcan sentiment to have a birthday flare (it's the tiny party hat on the pointer finger!). I hope Seth has a great day and is looking forward to a year of fun and fandom!